Greetings,
Welcome to this month's issue of The Pet Arthritis Chronicle. Please pass this along to your friends!

Table of Contents:

1. Content from The Pet Arthritis Resource Center
2. Big Dogs: Big Problems - Caution on the Exercise Front
3. Pet Arthritis Message Boards

Tips For Traveling With Rover Wether it be on a vacation to your favorite resort, or just visiting the in-laws for the weekend, many people are choosing to take their dogs with them when traveling. Can Fido or Fluffy make it as Vegetarians? (part 2) In our last article we talked about the importance of diet. If your pet has arthritis or joint-related problems, it becomes very important to do the right thing with diet. (Of course, it is for all pets.) Arthritis in Pets Osteoarthritis is a chronic, slowly progressing condition that is caused by the breakdown and destruction of your pet's cartilage. As that occurs, the bony structures begin to rub against one another causing pain and discomfort.

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Big Dogs: Big Problems - Caution on the Exercise Front

In the past, we have talked about certain breeds of dogs that are prone to developing arthritis problems. Generally speaking, it is the larger breeds that are more prone. Of course, arthritis does not discriminate. It can strike a small breed dog just as quickly as one of those larger breeds that tend to have problems.

Age and Other Factors
If you read this column regularly, you should all know by now that lifestyle changes for your pet can make a huge difference. Keeping weight down to avoid stress on arthritic joints, diet, and exercise all make a difference.

You also have to understand that those large breed dogs are not going to necessarily develop arthritis. As a mean age for those in high-risk categories, it is about age seven or sooner. However, watching for symptoms and signs early on can certainly put you on notice that something is not right. It goes without saying that these are things that you should always be looking for: a little lameness, a tendency to favor a certain joint, and any other overt signs of discomfort.

The Exercise Component
If you are being a responsible pet owner and take the advice that we have been giving you, it is possible to get things under control before your pet is really suffering. What can make a difference is the use of a high-quality liquid glucosamine; a diet consisting of at least some raw vegetables; and moderate exercise.

The Hip
This is likely the area where the greatest risk lies and particularly for larger breed dogs. Hip dysplasia, as we have discussed, is painful and debilitating. When you are beginning to get the exercise side of things working correctly, even this condition is manageable.

What Not To Do
I hear from owners of larger breed dogs on a regular basis. Most would agree that taking the steps outlined has changed their pet's lives. However, one area that always should be of concern is "how" you are exercising your arthritic dog.

The most "stressful" activities from an exercise standpoint are not recommended. If you are taking Fido down to the local park and tossing balls for him to "fetch," you are likely causing more damage to injured joints. Common sense should tell you that rapid movements and putting this additional stress on joints cannot be a good thing for a pet with arthritis. They will play until they drop so this is an area that requires a lot of attention.

I have often recommended swimming as the better alternative. Just as it is for humans, swimming is low-impact aerobic exercise that works to strengthen the muscles around injured joints and it assists in maintaining a more stable joint.

The issue is that most dogs affected by arthritis will respond quickly to the use of high-quality liquid glucosamine. Of course, then they "think" that since their pain has decreased, they can do much more than they really should be doing.

Stay with sensible exercise programs. If you do not, your pet is going to pay the price one way or another. In most cases, you will be able to tell when you have pushed too hard on this side of rehabilitating your arthritic pet. Generally, they will start to show you signs of fatigue and even begin to show you renewed lameness.

Watch also for signs that their appetite is not quite normal. That is often a signal that they are experiencing some pain and discomfort. The bottom line is that you have to be prudent in approaching the exercise angle and keep an eye open for signs of trouble.

See you next time.

For information on arthritis in pets visit our site at http://www.arthritis-cats-dogs.com

For information on glucosamine and the leading products read The Guide to Glucosamine Products. Or you can learn more about glucosamine formula Syn-flex®, our recommended glucosamine product.

A feature to our Pet Arthritis Resource Center is the Pet Arthritis Message Board. You can post messages, ask questions, learn more, and meet friends. You can post messages in any of the following sections.

Dogs

• Canine Hip Dysplasia
• Arthritis in Dogs
• Glucosamine for Dogs

Cats

• Feline Hip Dysplasia
• Glucosamine for Cats
• Arthritis in Cats

Other Animals

• Arthritis in Other Animals

Here's a few sample posts from the Forum...

allison
Posted on 14 Feb 2005

We recently adopted a 6 year old min pin. Over the past few weeks I've noticed some small changes in him. A few are things such as in the evening he is more reluctant to get up once he lays down, he usually follows me everywhere if I get up. He seems to be taking the stairs a little slower instead of racing me to the top.

And then the past couple of nights he has been acting really strange. It seems to happen mainly at night, but if he is sleeping and you are close to him and move or if you touch him while he is sleeping he will jump, yelp like he is in pain and bite at you. He doesn't bite hard, I know he could break the skin if he wanted to, but he doesn't even come close. It seems like he is biting out of a pain reaction. But then once he is awake I rubbed him all over and he didn't act like any part of his body hurt. It is really weird.

We have an appointment to see our vet tomorrow but I was just wondering if anyone had any ideas. Could this be arthritis?

Thanks,
Allison

Post your own message on The Pet Arthritis Message Board now!

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This concludes the February Issue of The Pet Arthritis Chronicle. Look for the next issue in your inbox on March 15th, 2005!

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Have a great February from The Pet Arthritis Resource Center and The Pet Arthritis Chronicle. See you next month!